Southern Fried Asian

On a new episode of Southern Fried Asian, Keith is joined by Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at the University of Oklahoma Dr. David Surratt to talk about growing up Black and Korean in Tulsa.

Keith and David begin by reminiscing about meeting at San Diego Comic-Con (1:00) before he recounts splitting his time between Oklahoma, California, and Pennsylvania in college (6:00). David then recalls growing up in the Korean Baptist church as a mixed Black child and recognizing the presence of both anti-Blackness and anti-Asian sentiment in both communities (10:00). They also delve into what cultural authenticity really means (22:00), the role of racism in what defines the South (30:00), and what it was like watching HBO's Watchmen (37:00). Finally, David explains why a burger from Braum's and a slushy from QuickTrip are his go-to for Oklahmoma eating (43:00).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

Welcome to a new season of Southern Fried Asian! We're kicking off 2021 with storyteller, writer, activist, and Georgian Kavi Vu to talk about how the AAPI community helped turn the state blue in 2020 and elect two Democratic senators in an historic runoff election.

Kavi talks about her political awakening in 2016 and the hard work of organizing the AAPI community in Georgia (2:00), especially in the shadow of the state's history of voter suppression (6:00). She also talks about working for Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American Georgia state house representative -- who serves in the seat originally held by Stacey Abrams, and her partnership with Bee's sister Phi on an internet show designed to educate AAPI voters (11:00). Later, she touches on what it was like growing up in a rural part of southern Georgia (16:30), why conservatives in the AAPI community are drawn to Trumpism (19:00), how to ensure Georgia remains a blue state in future elections (25:45), and the importance of storytelling in politics (31:45). Finally, Kavi shares a memory of her father's fish sauce fried chicken (33:45).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

Just in time for the holidays, here's the final Southern Fried Asian of season five to close out 2020! Joining the podcast is H'Abigail Mlo, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina and one of the founders of Voices of the Highlands, a digital storytelling project featuring Montagnard/Montagnard-American voices on identity, culture, and everyday life.

H'Abigail describes what it's like to graduate college during a pandemic (1:00) before describing the origins of the Voices of the Highlands project (4:00). They then discuss political organizing around the election and counting the Montagnard community in the Census (8:45) and dig in to the history of the Montagnard diaspora in Greensboro, NC (12:00), including the phenomenon of conservatism among many Southeast Asian communities (17:30). They turn the discussion back to Voices of the Highlands and the work of centering Montagnard voices in AAPI spaces (22:30). Finally, H'Abigail talks about reclaiming and redefining a Southern identity (32:00) and shares a food memory of her grandmother's eggplant curry (36:30)

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

With less than three weeks to go for the 2020 Presidential Election, Keith sits down with filmmaker and subjects from the new documentary, First Vote: director Yi Chen, podcaster Kaiser Kuo, and professor Dr. Jennifer Ho on this special election edition of Southern Fried Asian.

The film follows the stories of four Chinese Americans from both sides of the political aisle in Ohio and North Carolina and the aftermath of Donald Trump's election in 2016. Yi explains the movie's long journey from inception to its release amidst an election during a pandemic (1:30). Jennifer and Kaiser, who represent the North Carolina portions of the film, also explain how they came to be part of the project (4:00). They also explore why so many Chinese American immigrants support Donald Trump (6:45). Later, Kaiser describes how he came to live in North Carolina (19:30) before they debate the necessity of Asian American as a political and cultural identity (22:00). They also discuss the film in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (34:00) and what can still go wrong if people don't go out and vote (41:30).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

On October 9, Sony Pictures' Yellow Rose makes its theatrical debut on hundreds of screens across North America. To celebrate, the film's star, Eva Noblezada, and writer/director, Diane Paragas, join Keith on a brand new Southern Fried Asian.

Diane starts off by talking about how growing up in Lubbock, TX informed parts of the film (2:30). She then talks about the process of casting both Eva (4:00) and fellow Broadway legend Lea Salonga (8:00). Eva joins the podcast at 9:35 and explains what it was about the Yellow Rose script that made her want to make it her feature film debut (10:30). Eva then talks about how much her upbringing in North Carolina did and didn't influence her performance (16:00), and Diane speaks to the film's political timeliness given that it was originally shot two years ago (20:00). The director is also adamant that her movie does not fall into the white savior trope despite some early criticisms (29:30) and goes on to explain her determination to tell a fundamentally Filipino American story (33:45). Finally, they share food memories from shooting in Austin, including Eva playing the Miss Saigon card at a Filipino bakery and Diane's revelation of a scene cut from the script involving adobo chicken fried steak (35:00).

Be sure to check out Eva's podcast, The Amarillo Project too!

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

On a brand new Southern Fried Asian, Keith reconnects with his former college professor, Luisa A. Igloria, who was just named the first Filipina American poet laureate of Virginia.

They kick off the podcast reminiscing about her first year as a professor of English at Old Dominion University (1:15) and being integral to the development of Filipino American studies at the school (3:00). Luisa then talks about her time as director of ODU's MFA program (11:45) before describing what it was like to be named Poet Laureate in the time of corona (15:00). Then, they have a discussion about the ways technology has changed the way poetry can be perceived (21:00) and her process for writing a poem a day for the last ten years (25:00). She even graces the podcast with a reading of a recent poem, "America" (36:00). Finally, Luisa sings the praises of the local Asian groceries in Hampton Roads (40:45).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

This episode of Southern Fried Asian was recorded in February before the coronavirus shut down everything. While Disney may have taken Mulan off its release schedule, we're filling the void by releasing Keith's conversation with one of the film's stars, Chen Tang!

Chen talks about immigrating to Memphis as a small child and growing up identifying as a Southerner (2:00) and contrasts it with life in southern China (7:00). He then talks about the process of joining Disney's live action adaptation of Mulan (12:00) and how he initially wanted to join the military rather than be an actor (19:00) -- also don't tell Disney that he prefers Star Trek to Star Wars (27:00)! Finally, Chen shares his love for Gus World Famous Fried Chicken and why the ones in L.A. don't really count (29:00).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

On June 5, the Oxford Film Festival will host the virtual world premiere of the documentary feature, Far East Deep South, a film about a Chinese American family discovering its unexpected history in Mississippi. Before its premiere, the filmmakers, Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu, sit down for this month's episode of Southern Fried Asian.

Baldwin and Larissa take us behind the scenes on what led to the revelation that their Californian family had roots in the American South (1:15). Larissa, the director, explains the decision to turn their original documentary short, Finding Cleveland, into a feature-length movie came about (9:00) and how their personal story fits into a larger context of Asian American history (16:00). Later, Baldwin reveals how Larissa was able to get his father to show his emotional side in the film (22:30) and why this film's exploration of immigration and generational trauma is so timely in 2020 (26:30). Finally, they share some of the favorite things they ate while filming the documentary in Mississippi (33:30). Also, check out their music video tribute to Asian American history set to the tune of "The Schuyler Sisters" from Hamilton.

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

This month's guest on Southern Fried Asian, Edward Hong, has been tapped to deliver the commencement address for the APIA students of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. A fitting tribute to the college's first ever Asian American Studies graduate in the 300-year-old institution's history.

Edward talks about his journey to W&M and discovering his passion for acting (5:30), as well as his role in creating the college's first Asian American Studies major (11:15). He also talks about what prompted him to drop everything and pursue an acting career in Los Angeles (20:00) and performing in Qui Nguyen's play Vietgone, about a Vietnamese American family in Arkansas (23:45). Edward also explains the origins of his obsession with Cinnabon (30:00) and how it led to a meeting with the company's CEO (35:30) and a role as "Cinnabon guy" opposite Dakota Fanning (39:00).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.

It's Southern Fried Asian in the time of Corona as Keith welcomes entertainment reporter and Deadline.com editor Dino-Ray Ramos to the podcast.

Dino describes his FilAm Texas roots growing up the son of an Air Force father (2:45), forging an Asian American identity in college (4:30), and his high school's secret connection to Friday Night Lights (8:00). Later, he shares how he got started in journalism while in college (11:30), blogging about fashion to being a publicist in the Bay Area (13:00), writing about inclusion and diversity in his reporting (16:15), and launching his first podcast (19:00). He also reflects on how coverage of diversity in Hollywood has evolved over the years (22:30) and how being from the south gives him insight into the way he covers the community (40:45). Finally, Dino shares his love of his mother's pescatarian-friendly palabok, breakfast tacos, and the Texas-based Pappadeux restaurant chain (46:00).

Subscribe to the Southern Fried Asian podcast on iTunes, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and Stitcher Radio! Support Hard NOC Media on Patreon and GoFundMe. Buy merch on TeePublic!

Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.